Vargas Island

We're not in Kansas anymore

Vargas is an Island just a 10 minute boat ride away from Tofino. Rumour had it that there was a beach you could sometimes surf at when the conditions were right, so 6 of us decided to spend the night there to celebrate a friends birthday. Since the guys were all bringing surfboards they boated straight to the beach where we were going to camp. However, there wasn't enough room for all of us in the boat so they dropped myself and 2 other girls off on the other side of the Island and made us hike there (we didn't really mind...).

A small wooden sign reading 'Ahous Bay' marked the trail-head so we cracked some ciders and embarked on our adventure. The trail takes you to the other side of the island but you go through so many different types of eco-systems and vegetation. It is really beautiful. There are warnings of wolves on Vargas so we were a bit spooked at times but luckily had no encounters. About an hour later after walking through bogs, boardwalks, wooden bridges and bushwhacking we arrived on a deserted beach.

The only instructions we'd been given were to keep walking right along the beach and then look for hanging buoys in trees that marked the connecting trails. The three of us continued our trek for another 2 hours. Alternating between walking along wild beaches to weaving though thick overgrown trails, crawling under fallen trees and climbing over intricate root systems. Eventually, a little tipsy, we arrived at our destination and saw that the boys were already surfing.

The rest of the trip was very dreamy but basically this is what happened :  we ate, we drank, we explored, we saw a sunset that lasted for hours, we got buzzed by a float plane, had a bonfire and went skinny dipping in phosphorescence.  A lot of other amazing things happened that day and continued into the night but me explaining them wont do any justice... you'll just have to experience Vargas for yourself ;)

trippytree

pathway to paradise

meeting new friends along the way

Four Lanes

I took a trip to Tofino last week to visit some friends and while we were there we went camping.
The place we went is called four lanes and is not an offical camping area. From Tofino you drive back towards Nanaimo about 30 minutes and then you take a right on to an old logging road for a few minutes and then you end up at the bridge. It was a bit too cold to jump in when we went but usually people jump off. From the bridge you can see the camping area or "gravel pit''. To get to the camping spot from the bridge you probably need a car with four-wheel drive. I took my moms Suzuki and somehow made it but there are definitley some sketchy parts...
Once you make it to the camping area you get an amazing view of the bridge and a small swimming area. This is not a well known spot so pretty much anything goes once you get there. Anyways I shouldn't say anymore or else this spot might not be such a secret the next time I go back !

weenies in bikins

Joffre Lakes Trail

~ nota bene : one of the three beautiful Joffre Lakes is depicted in my blog background ~

This day hike takes about 4 hours return and takes you up into the alpine of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.
I did this hike last summer with a couple of friends from Whistler. It's a bit of a drive to get there (especially if you're leaving from Vancouver like I was) but the 3 lakes are stunning!  

The trail head is off of the Duffey Lake Road, past Pemberton, on the way to Lillooet.

As soon as you enter and walk a few minutes you get a view of the first lake.

It's really worth it to hike to the third though and you can stop and have a swim in the second if you're brave enough...however these are glacier fed lakes so the water is LITERALLY breathtaking.

This hike had some steep sections and it's a bit of a workout but my friend who came with me was extremely hungover and made it so I'm sure you can too.
There are camping areas around the third lake so if you're willing to carry all of your gear up to the top you are rewarded with million-dollar-view camping spot.
Also, the day we went there were mad bugs so I'd recommend some bug spray!

Middle Joffre Lake

quick dip

Keyhole Hot Springs

Meager Creek used to be the well known Hot Springs out past Pemberton.
Unfortunately there was a landslide a few years back that destroyed the road so they are no longer accessible.  However, if you drive a few kilometres further you will find a trail to the lesser known Keyhole Hot Springs.

It was a very rainy day but my sister and our friend Maria had heard rumours of these Hot Springs and were determined to find them. Another friend, Sean, met us in Pemberton and the 4 of us squished in my car and headed North.
It took us a few tries but eventually we found the logging road that led to the Hot Springs and followed it for about 40km.
Finally we made it to the "parking lot" and quickly unloaded the car and followed the markers toward the camping area.
The hike got VERY steep VERY fast.
Luckily we were wearing backpacks but all of us bailed down the sketchy trail at least once. Maybe it would've been easier if we weren't holding a beer in one hand but we had priorities...
By the time we had found a camping spot and set up our tent it was dark but the the 4 of us decided to go to the Hot Springs anyways.
It was another 20-30 minute steep, slippery trek but we found them.
The rain subsided and we had quite a few celebratory beers in the natural Hot Springs before heading back to our tent.
Getting back proved to be even more difficult then finding the Hot Springs and we got lost in the dark more then once but we managed to make it back and started a fire to warm up.
Sean had told some friends to come to the Hot Springs earlier but he hadn't talked to them for hours and there was no service where we were so we figured they'd given up.
However, at around midnight we heard some voices in the woods and then some guys calling "Sean!".
We couldn't believe it, they had actually found us.
It was hard enough hiking down that trail and finding our spot in the day but somehow they'd managed to do it in the pitch black.
On top of that, they'd brought a huge cooler full of beer and even a Military sized tent with them (which they ended up ditching halfway down because it was too hard for them to carry).
We all continued drinking around the fire in the rain and eventually the 7 of us piled into the 4-man tent and passed out.
The next day we went for a second soak in the Hot Springs and then basically climbed the whole way back to our cars and headed home.
This definitely wasn't one of the easiest overnight trips I've been on, but it was one of the most memorable.
If you're willing to work for it, Keyhole Hot Springs is a great place to get away.

Maria making the journey back from the Hotsprings

Keyhole Hotsprings and the Lillooet River

Canada Day at Cat Lake

Determined to go on a Canada Day Camping trip despite the rain, two girlfriends and I headed to Cat Lake, a spot we'd heard of just off of the Sea to Sky.
We left much later than planned due to events that took place the night before, but after driving through Squamish and then following a very muddy and pot hole ridden road, we eventually found the Cat Lake Parking lot.
You aren't able to park right at the camping area so wheelbarrows are supplied to assist you in taking your belongings to your desired spot. After scoping the scene we found a decent sized spot and the three of us hauled our things from the parking lot to our home for the next 2 nights.
We set up our tent in the pouring rain but were not able to light a fire.
Later that night a male stripper found us and after trying to help us make a fire (unsuccessfully), calling us a bunch of lesbians and giving us a strip tease, he invited us over to his campsite to share a fire with him and his friends.
The next day we ventured around the Lake (not too large) and went swimming.
Even though it was not the best weather it was still a very beautiful spot.
Our second night there got a bit wild so I will not go into the details. However, I will say that the stripper was not the only one getting nude around the campfire.
Cat Lake. Do it.

Cat Lake 

Heaven on Earth - Anderson Beach

I was a bit reluctant to share this camping spot because it is so amazing but I decided it had to be done...
Anderson Beach is out in the Squamish Valley off of "Magee Road".
The first time I went here was for my 21st birthday and thankfully I was with someone who'd been there before because according to google maps "Magee Road" was some residential street in the middle of Squamish.
I remember driving by all these houses telling my friends it was "around there somewhere".
Luckily a guy we were with navigated us out of the town of Squamish and down a beautiful winding country road which eventually lead us to the REAL "Magee Road". After we parked and unpacked all of our stuff we walked down the 10 minute trail and ended up on a stunning beach right along the Squamish river.

There were a few other groups camping but since this isn't a private/pay campground we ventured out along the beach until we found the ideal spot to set up camp.

Beers were cracked and hallucinogens may or may not have been taken once we'd found our spot.

To say the least, it was a very magical and memorable experience. 

I have been back to Anderson Beach a couple of times since my first experience and it never disappoints. 

Anderson Beach